Cutting Back

You can’t add something to your life without removing something else. That’s something I failed to consider when I started this blog.

This blog has had a big impact on my life. I’ve met great people. I’ve rekindled lost creativity. I’ve worked through issues that I never realized I had.

I don’t regret starting this blog. But the truth is that I didn’t plan for it as well as I should have.

So I’m cutting back.

There are four different articles that I’m excited to write. I have a grand vision for them. But I don’t have the time to write them according to that vision.

There’s a new side business that I want to start. There are important changes that I need to make to my existing side business. There’s more disc golf to be played. There’s more cuddling to do with Sarah. There’s more walking to do with Moonshine. There are more vacations to be taken.

So I’m cutting back. But not from blogging.

I’m Cutting Back at My Day Job

As of this past week I’ve transitioned from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week at my day job. I took a 20% pay cut in exchange for the 20% reduction in hours. My company is paying less to get a more focused version of me. And I have more free time to do other things I love. It’s a win all the way around. It’s not the world’s hugest transition. Which is odd for me because I’m the extreme type. But sometimes subtlety is the best choice.

The truth is, for months I was toying around with leaving altogether. I didn’t want to leave. I liked (and still like) working there. And aside from the job and the money, I’d miss the structure. I used to do exclusively freelance work, and the lack of structure killed me. Having some structure allows me to make the most of my non-structured hours. It lets me avoid procrastinating my life away.

But I don’t want to do anything for 40 hours per week. And I knew I couldn’t take it much longer. So I kept teetering back and forth: should I stay or should I go?

It’s embarrassing to admit that it took me months to realize that 40 hours per week and 0 hours per week weren’t my only two options.​

The Daily Goldfish

A daily email with 40 words or less per day. For you folks with short attention spans. Generally about creativity, health, or making stuff. But no promises.